Google Announces New Phones, Laptop, Speakers, and Much More

Autumn is tech season and yesterday Google followed Apple and Amazon in announcing its latest product lineup. New tech devices and new skills for Google Assistant made for a busy afternoon for Google yesterday, as it demonstrated its latest offerings.

Most of the new devices come with Google Assistant, Google’s digital assistant, to bring the devices new features and to connect them to each other. The company says it’s combining hardware, software and artificial intelligence so its products can interact with each other.

Google Assistant

Nearly every product Google introduced yesterday have Google Assistant to answer questions and perform tasks. Google Assistant has become smarter and more useful with each of these products.

Voice Match

A new feature of Google Assistant that makes it stand out from Siri or Alexa (Apple and Amazon’s digital assistants), is Voice Match. Google Assistant can learn your voice and distinguish it from other voices.

Voice Match means that when you ask Google Assistant a question, you’ll get an answer meant specifically for you, not for someone else. This skill is especially important when using Google Assistant on devices such as Google Home, when it may not otherwise know who is asking a question.

For example, if you ask Google Assistant, “what’s on my calendar for tomorrow?” its reply will be based on your calendar, not the calendar of anyone else in your household. You can ask Google Assistant to call “Jerry” and it will call the Jerry in your Contacts, not a different Jerry someone else in your family knows.

Google Assistant will ask for your permission before it learns your voice to know who you are. After it does this, Voice Match can customize its answers for your reminders, commute time and more.

Routines

You’ll be able to create Routines for Google Assistant so it can perform multiple tasks with one command.

For example, you can say, “Hey, Google, good night” and Google Assistant can turn off your lights, turn on your security system, adjust the temperature on your Nest thermostat, set a wake-up alarm for the morning and tell you what you have on your calendar for the next day.

Find Your Phone

Google Assistant can find your phone, if you ask it to. Say, “Okay, Google. Find my phone.” If it’s an Android phone, Google Assistant will make your phone ring, even if it’s on silent. If it’s an iPhone, Google Assistant will call your phone.

Google Home

Google Home, Google’s smart speaker is getting smarter, smaller and bigger. Using Google Assistant, Google Home products can connect to your smart home devices and act as a voice-controlled remote. Google Assistant has other new skills it uses with Google Home.

Broadcast

With Broadcast, Google Assistant can play a message on all of the Google Home speakers in your house. No more yelling at the kids to get them to come to the dinner table, Google Assistant can announce this important message, saving your vocal chords from a nightly strain.

Family Link

If you have children under 13 you can connect them to Google Assistant using the Family Link app. With Family Link, they can ask Google Home things like, “Hey, Google, let’s learn” to hear interesting facts and play trivia games. They can say, “Hey, Google, let’s play” to play games such as musical chairs and freeze dance. They can also ask Google Home to tell them a story.

Google Home Mini

In addition to the original Google Home, Google now offers Home Mini, a smaller version of the smart speaker. The Mini is smaller than a donut, but has the same functions as the larger Google Home.

It comes in three colors: charcoal, chalk and coral.

This disk has a fabric-covered speaker you can tap to operate or you can speak to it using Google Assistant. You can ask it questions, use it to control your smart home devices, and have it play music.

Mini has LED lights under the fabric so you can see when it’s working.

Here’s a peek at Mini:

Google Home Mini costs $49 and can be ordered now on the Google Store website. It will be available on October 19.

Google Home Max

If you want to go big, Google Home Max might be a better choice for you. Max is designed to be an intelligent speaker that adapts its sound output to different factors.

Max uses what Google calls “Smart Sound” to figure out its placement in the room and the shape of the room. Max will play music according to the shape of the room and adjust when you move it to another place. You can turn Max vertically or horizontally and it will change the sound accordingly.

The sound also will be adjusted according to the context. The volume may be lower in the morning or if you’re playing a podcast. The volume may be increased if you’re in a room that’s noisy.

This video shows Google Home Max in action:

You can play songs from Spotify, YouTube Music, and Pandora on Max. With the purchase of Max, you get a free 12-month subscription to YouTube Music without ads.

You can also connect other devices using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or an auxiliary cable.

Pixelbook

Google’s latest Chromebook is called Pixelbook and is a combination of a laptop and a tablet. The device is thin and light, weighing only 1 kg (2.2 lbs). It comes with a keyboard and touchscreen, and runs the Chrome OS operating system. You can surf the Internet and use Android apps from Google Play.

But the most interesting feature of Pixelbook maybe the hinge on its keyboard. You can fold it under the screen to use it as a tablet. You can open the keyboard like a laptop. The keyboard also folds back so you can prop up Pixelbook to watch videos.

Pixelbook comes with Google Assistant which you can summon with a button on the keyboard or by using your voice. You can type questions and commands to Google Assistant in addition to speaking them.

Here’s a fun video showing how to use Google Assistant on Pixelbook:

If you don’t have a Wi-Fi connection, Pixelbook will automatically connect to your Pixel phone with Instant Tethering to access the Internet.

Pixel 2

Google announced a new model of its Pixel phone, the Pixel 2. This phone is available with a 5 inch screen for the Pixel 2 or a 6 inch screen for the Pixel 2 XL. Both models have the same features, cameras and hardware.

The screen wraps around the sides of the phone and is framed by front-facing stereo speakers. The display is designed so you can see it even while you’re wearing sunglasses.

The Pixel 2 has an Always On screen to show you the time, notifications and other important information, even when the phone is locked.

Both phones are water and dust resistant. You can add seven hours to the battery life in just 15 minutes of charging.

Like the recent iPhones, the Pixel 2 has no headphone jack.

The Pixel 2 has a unique way of connecting to Google Assistant — you squeeze the sides of the phone. This squeeze feature even works when you have a case on the phone.

Your squeeze brings up Google Assistant so you can ask questions or command it to do something, such as use Broadcast to have Google Home make an announcement at your house. Or take a selfie. Or get your flight status. Or play a song…

Augmented Reality Stickers

One of the coolest uses for the Pixel 2 is augmented reality stickers. With these stickers, you can insert characters into your world that are animated and will interact with each other.

Google Lens

Pixel also is the first device with the Google Lens search function. Use Google Lens to find out more information about a picture on your phone, an image on a website or an object that’s in front of you.

You can also use it to ask Google Assistant to find you a pillow in a certain fabric, learn more about artwork, read book and movie reviews, get directions and more.

The camera on the Pixel 2 got the highest rating ever from DXOMark, a record 98, beating the previous record of 89 for the first Pixel phone. As with the first Pixel, Google Photos is giving Pixel 2 owners unlimited photo and video storage at full resolution.

In addition to taking photos, the Pixel has fun features such as portrait mode and a blurred background effect. In case you’re thinking the iPhone already introduced these features, Google lets you know that the Pixel 2 does these neat tricks with one camera, instead of the dual cameras of the iPhone Plus models. And these features work both on the front and rear cameras on the Pixel 2.

In the event that these features are enough to sway you away from the iPhone, Google is including a transfer cable that will move your apps, photos and even iMessages over from your iPhone to the Pixel 2 in under 10 minutes.

The Pixel 2 is available for pre-order now with prices of $649 for the Pixel 2 and $849 for the Pixel 2 XL. Included with the Pixel 2 in some countries is a free Google Home Mini.

Pixel Buds

Although Google took the headphone jack away from the Pixel 2, it introduced a very cool new product – Pixel Buds. These Bluetooth earbuds are controlled by tapping and swiping the right earbud.

They come with Google Assistant built in so you can use the headphones to control your smart home devices, send Broadcasts to Google Home, and more.

But the most amazing thing about Pixel Buds was demonstrated at the presentation yesterday – real-time language translation. Pixel Buds will translate other languages into your native language so when someone is speaking a different language you will hear the translation in real time through Pixel Buds.

You can respond back and they can hear your words translated into their native tongue. The demonstration was from Swedish to English, then English to Swedish.

Pixel Buds cost $159 and are available for pre-order today.

Google Clips

Google Clips is a mini camera that you can attach to objects to capture important moments in your life. With your permission, Clips can learn the faces of people (and pets) important to you and snap short video images of them when it thinks they’re doing something interesting.

The idea behind Clips is to take candid shots of your daily life. There’s an indicator light to show when it’s on and images stay in the Clips app on your phone until you decide to share them. No sound is included in the videos.

Google Photos can combine the images from Clips into videos.

This video shows how Clips works:

Clips is coming soon and will cost $249.

Your Thoughts

Are you excited by the new products from Google? Which of the new skills of Google Assistant do you think would be the most useful? Do you like the idea of real-time language translation?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Another phone without earphone Jack! Samsung must be thinking that are we fool to not to remove this!?
I am not in a mood to buy Bluetooth powered earphones/headphones and wear them all day keeping my Bluetooth ON! This is crazy, as we are going advanced in tech we are making things more complicated!
What do you say? I am disappointed.Pratyaksh Somani recently published this awesome post..Easily Update iOS or Downgrade iOS without iTunes

Hi Pratyaksh, I completely agree with you. I miss the headphone jack on my iPhone frequently. If I’m traveling and forget to bring along Bluetooth earbuds, then it’s a much bigger deal than if I forgot wired earbuds.

I have invested in Bluetooth earbuds and like not having wires. But I would prefer to have the choice of using them instead of being forced to.

Plus, this move by Google reinforces Apple’s decision to eliminate the headphone jack on the iPhone, leaving fewer choices for those who want a phone with one.

I completely agree with you. During travels, my friends cannot use earphones, if they are charging the iPhone 7. Deep inside I laugh at them. (Although I dont want to)
Apple and Google use “Outdated” word just to free some space taken by that small jack to incorporate other features.(Those features are the ones you use Once in a blue moon)
I fear if all major Tech companies are next to do this, then I have to buy a second hand iPod Shuffle.Pratyaksh Somani recently published this awesome post..Easily Update iOS or Downgrade iOS without iTunes

Yes, we can use dongles to attach traditional headphones but then we can’t charge at the same time as we listen. Plus, I have lost too many dongles and I’m tired of spending money on something I resent having to own!Carolyn Nicander Mohr recently published this awesome post..Documentary Exposes How Clueless We Are About Texting While Driving

Hi Sagar, Yes, these products are very cool. The new features are very handy and having them all connect together makes them even more compelling.

The Pixel Buds would be a wise investment if you need to have real-time language translation and use an Android phone. Otherwise, you may want to shop around if you’re in the market for Bluetooth earbuds. The Pixel Buds only keep a charge for five hours so if you need earbuds that keep a charge for longer, you may want to get different earbuds.Carolyn Nicander Mohr recently published this awesome post..Documentary Exposes How Clueless We Are About Texting While Driving

Hi Shantanu, Yes, autumn really is tech season, with new products coming out from Apple, Amazon and now Google. This collection of new products is impressive, especially because they all connect together.

Hi Carolyn
It’s good to be back here.
I was super excited for the new Pixel XL 2 as I am the Android fan and I was wondering about the updates in the new Pixel XL 2. After iPhone X, the expectations from Google was even higher.
I love the Pixel XL 2 phone by Google. It is a clean, elegant, powerful Android phone from Google. At first, I was surprised to see a single rear camera but when officials gave the camera demo, I was shocked to see the amazing performance of the Pixel XL 2 camera. The software optimization of Pixel’s camera is just unbelievable. With just a single camera lens, it can capture beautiful portraits shots. But, Google should make a better design for Pixel phones. Pixel XL 2 is not the best-looking smartphone.
Apart from Pixel, I just love Google Lens. Google had already showcased the Google Lens in I/O but that was in beta version. But now, I think it is ready for us. Can’t wait to use that thing.
I missed the LIVE stream though but then I join it during Pixel Book. Here I get all the missed gadgets launched by Google.
Thank you for sharing this awesome stuff with us.
JayantJayant Gosain recently published this awesome post..6 Best Android TV Box For Kodi in 2017

Hi Jayant, It’s great to have you back here at The Wonder of Tech! Yes, we can be very impressed that what the iPhone does with two cameras, the Pixel can do with just one. Also, I like how all of the features are the same on the smaller phone as the larger one. Many people want a smaller phone but don’t want to sacrifice features to get a smaller screen.

If you have a chance, watch the video of the announcement with the Pixel Buds demo. To see the two presenters speaking two different language (English and Swedish) with real-time translation is pretty amazing!Carolyn Nicander Mohr recently published this awesome post..6 Reasons Why a Chromebook Should Be Your Next Computer

Hey, Carolyn,
You have made my day with great news. I am a music lover and you can’t imagine how much i love music. I am eagerly waiting for Google Home max and pixel buds. I saw the attached video and became a fan of Google Home Max. Thanks again Carolyn for sharing these gadgets reviews.

Hi Umesh, Unfortunately, I cannot give you that information. According to Hindustan Times, Google has not revealed when Google Home will be sold in India.

The good news is that Amazon’s Echo is now being sold in India. Even if you’re not interested in the Echo, that could give Google incentive to bring Google Home to India soon.Carolyn Nicander Mohr recently published this awesome post..How to Know Which Apps Are Tracking Your Location